Gear shift



Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,199

' K A. c. NICKELL, JR

GEAR SHIFT Filed June 25. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l l I l i. f6 TJ 1N VENTORATTORN EYS Jan' 8 V1929.

A. C. NICKELL JR GEAR SHIFT 2 sheetserwetv 2 l Filedv June 26, 1925INVENTOR CMC/f BY V ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

ARTHUR CORNWALL N ICKELL, JR., OF WAUKESHA, WISCONSIN.

GEAR SHIFT. A

i Application filed June 26, 1925. Serial VNo. 39,78*?.

My invention relates to improvements in gear shifts, and it consists inthe combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described andclaimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an improvement over Patent No.1,255,933 of February 12, 1918. In said patent tliere'is shown a clutchpedal that is adapted to be moved so as to release the clutch, thisconstituting the iirst action;V the section action of the clutch pedalbeingvto throw the gear shifting mechanism to neutral position; and thethird action being to throw the gear shifting mechanism to a desiredposition, thisk last movement taking placer only when the clutch pedalisfully depressed, where` ,upon a release ofthe clutch pedal will drivethe car at the speed thus selected.V

In the present form of the device I show resilient means for causing thegears to be shifted from speed to speed, whereby the gears are adaptedto bel first aligned with each other before they are moved intoengagementwith each other, thus eliminating any chance of stripping thegears.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device ofthe typedescribed in which novel means is provided for varying the tension ofthe resilient means that is employed for moving the gears into thedifferent speeds.

A further object of my invention is to provide a. device of the typedescribed which can be readily applied to a standard transd missionmechanism without alteringthe construction of the latter, the devicebeing provided with lugs Vthat engage with the two gear shifting rods inthe transmissionl cas-- ing, these lugs taking the place of the usualgear shift lever.

@ther objects and advantages will appearin the followingspecification,.and the novel features of the invention will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis application, in which Figure l is a side elevation of the deviceand is shown operatively applied to a transmission mechanism, y l

` Figure 2 is a section along t-he line 2-2 of Figure 1,l I y .v

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the selective. means for shifting thegears,

Figures 4 to 8 inclusive are views showing the parts ofthe device vwhenshifting the gears into iirst, second, third or reversespeeds, and lFigure 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the device in a position topermit the shifting` of the gear changing mechanism,fand also showingthe clutch in released position'.

In. carrying outmy. invention I make use 'of' astandard transmissionmechanism 1 that employs the usual rods 2 andV 3 for shifting the gears,not shown, within the'transmission casing. The rods 2 and 3 function inthe normalmanner.4 For example when the rod 2 is moved in they directionof the arrow w shown in Figure 1, the gears fwithin the transmissioncasing will be shifted into reversespeed. In like manner when the rod 2is moved in the direction of the arrow it will move the gears into iirstspeed.. The rod 3 when moved in the direction of the arrow a will movethe gears into second speed and whenmoved in the direction of the arrowZ; will move the gears into third speed. It'will be seen from kthedescription thus far that the deviceoperates in the samey way as astandard transmission mechanism. Instead, however, of a gear shiftinglever being provided as is usuallytheccase, I providetwo gear shiftingdevicesor slidesrt and 5 that are disposed parallel with each other andthat are provided with aligned rods 6 6 and 7-7, these rods beingslidably received in the casing 8 thatvhouses the gear shiftingmechanism. yThe slide 4 carries a l lug) that is received in thestandard recess 10 provided in the rod 2. In like manner` the slide 5carries a lug 1l that is received in the standardv recess 12 provided inthe rod A3. The lugs 9 and lltake the place of thegear shift lever andareV adapted to move the rods 2 and 3V in the same way as the gear shiftlever.l The lugs 9 and 11 are always received within the recesses 10 and12 whereas inthe standard gear shift mechanism the gear shifting leveris either disposed Vin neutral i. e., in al positionbetween the two rodsV2 and or is received in either one of the recesses 10 and 1,2. i y

Y The slides 4 and 5 are adaptedtobe moved d in identically the samemanner as the gear shift lever is moved when being actuated so as tomove the gears from speedto speed.

The slides i and 5 are identical in shape and thereforey the descriptionof one d of these slides will sul'lice for both.

In Figure 4 I show the slide 4 and it will be noted that this slide hasan opening 13 therein that is of a predetermined shape.

The opening is provided with two shoulders 14 and 15 that are adapted tohave` a slide moving member indicated generally a 16 to Contacttherewith so as to move the slide in the direction of the arrow c inFigure 4. The opening 13 is `also provided with two shoulders 17 and 18that are adapted to have the member 16 contact therewith so as to movethe slide 4 in the direction oi the arrow l in Figure 4. Therest of theopening 13 is shaped so as to permit the free movement of the member 16therethrough, the

ortions 19, 20,21 and 22 being provided or this purpose.

I will now describe the means for moving` the member 16 int-o apredetermined position with respect to the slides 4 and 5 and then forrockingthe member 16 about its axis so as to aetuate either one or bothof the slides 4 and 5. The selective gear shift determining means orselector 16 is slidably mounted upon a shaft 23 and is keyed thereto at24. The means for sliding the member 16 upon the shaft 23 is shown inFigure 2. In the present form of the device this means Vcomprisesan arm25 that has a pin 26 that is slidablyreceived within a groove 27 in themember' 16. The arm is pivotally secured to the casing at 28 and has itsfree end operatively connected to a control lever' 29. A movement of'the lever 29 will shift the member 16 along the shaft 23 so as toposition the member With respect to the slides 4 and 5. The lever 29'maybe disposed in any suitable position such as adjacent to the steeringWheel, not` shown,-of the car. I have shown the lever 29 as beingdisposed adjacent to the casing `8 merely for illustrating the operationof the device more clearly. The lever 29 ismounted adjacent to a plate30 uponV i which the letters R,1, N, 2 and 3 are dis- Vis held in thisposition.

posed, these letters indicating reverse, first s eed, neutral, secondspeed, and third speed.

heV plate 30 is provided with notches or grooves not shown that areadapted to receive a projection 31 carried bythe lever 29 whereby thelever is readily positioned with respect to any one of the differentspeeds and Obviously any other 'means for holding the'lever 29 inadjusted position may be provided without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention.

Assume that the driver wishes to shift from neutral to rst speed.lVhen'the slides 4 and 5 are in neutral position, they will be disposeddirectly in back of each other so as Y to cause the slide 4 to hidetheslide 5 as is vis -in normal position.

shown in Figure 4. The member 16 is in the position shown in Figure 4when it In shifting from neutral position into first speed the member 16is swung in the direction of the arrow e so as to position the member inthe full line position shown in Figure' 5. The swinging of the member 16is caused by the rocking of the shaft 23 `which in turn is actuated bymeans of the clutch operating device such as a clutch pedal 32 in amanner hereinafter from the dotted line position into the full Y lineposition will move the rod 2 which in turn will cause the gears, notshown, Within the transmission mechanism to be shifted into first speed.Ihenieinber 16 is provided with a slot 34 to pei-init the member to re'-ceive the slide4 as shown `in Figure 5.

It wiil beunderstoodthat any time after the clutch pedal `has beenreleased to bring the clutch into engaging position, the driverV mayswing' the lever 29 into any other position. Therefore, after the carhas attained the required speed while in. first speed position, thedriver may swing the lever 29 int-o second speed position. It will benoted that the openings 13 in the slides 4 and 5 are designed so as topermitthe member 16 tobe shifted from first speed into second speedwithout in any way affecting the movement of the slides. In other words,the lever 29 may be in second speed position while the car still iniii-st speed position. The change from first speed to second speed iseffected by depressing the clutch pedal 32.

liflovement of the clutch pedal will of course release the clutch so asto permit the gearsto be shifted from first speed to second speed. `Thefirst rotative movement of the member 16 will cause the oam`35, seeFigure 3, to Contact with the shoulder 14 of the slide 4'so as toVreturn the slide 4 to neutral position. As soon as the slide 4 reachesneutral position, the cam 35 has moved clear oi' the shoulder 14.Fur-ther movement of the member 16 will merely swing the cam 35 in 1 theportion 21 of the-slide 4 and will therefore cease to move the slide 4.This further movement `of the member 16 is used however for shifting theslide 5 from the dotted line position shown in Figure 6, i. e., neutralposillo the member V16 and permits this movement.

It willbe seen from this construction that the member 16 in shifting thegears. from first .speed to second spoed moves the slides 4 and 5 insuch a manner as to first shift the gears into neutral positiony andthen shift the gears into second speed. This operation is identical tothe Way the gears are shifted when the gearv shift lever is used.

In shifting from second speed tothird speedthe slide-4 remains inneutral position while the slide 5 is moved from second speed positionto neutral position and .thence to third speed position.v The movementof the slide 4 from second speed position to neutral position is causedby the cam 38 con* tacting with the shoulder 18 on the slide As soon asthe cam 38rides free of the shoulder and is received in the portion 22of the opening 13, the projection 33 will Contact with the shoulder' 17so aste continue to move the slide until `theslide effects theengagement of the third speed gears within the transmission casing. Y

In shifting from third speed to reverse speed the member 16 is firstmoved along the shaft 23 into the Vdesired position. The' member 16 isnow rocked so as to bring the cam 39 into contact with the shoulder 14on theslide 5 so as to move the slide into neutral position. VFurthermovement of the member 16 will bring the projection 36 into contact withthe shoulder' 15 on the slide 4, thus moving the slide 4 into reversespeed,

I have described how the member 16 is adapted to be shifted and thenrocked so as to move the gears intofany speed desired. The means forrocking the shaft 23 consists of the clutch pedal 32 as heretofore deyscribed.l The clutch pedal 32'is mounted uponv a shaft 40 that in turnis connected to the clutch, not shown. An arm 41 is mounted upon theshaft 40 and has its free end slidably mounted upon a rod 42. This rodis connected to the shaft 23 by means of an ar1n43. A collar 44 ismounted upon the rod 42 and'is adjustably secured thereto by a set screw45. A heavy coil spring46 is slidably mounted upon the rod 42 and is'adapted to be moved against the collar 44 when the clutch pedal 32 isactuated. This movement of the spring 4G takes place before the clutchpedal 32 will rock the shaft 23. In this way. Ilprovidef a simpleV meansfor causing the clutch pedal to first partially release the clutchbefore it will rockk the member 16,. After the l coil spring 4G hasengaged with the collar 44 the further movement of the clutch pedal 32will cause the spring 46 to move the rod 42 and roel;

the shaft 23. It will be seen at this point that there is a yieldingconnection between the clutch pedal 32` and the shaft .'If therefore theshaft 23 moves-either of the slides 4 or 5 so as to cause the slides toshift the gears into the desired speed, and' the gears fail to meshproperly, the springk 46 will permit the clutch pedal 32 to be movedinto its furthest positionwithout forcing the gears to mesh, yet at thesame time Willcause to speed.

the gears to instantly mesh when the teeth on the gears align witheachother. In this way I provide a simple means for preventl ingthestripping of the gearswhen the gears are shifted from speed to speed.Al

fine adjustment of the resilient means `for effecting the engagement ofthe gears is provided by means of a weak coil spring 47 that is held inposition by means of lool; nuts k48. By turning the lock nuts 43, thespring 47 will move the arm 44 onfthe rod 42 so as to bring the free endof the spring 4G` into the desired the collar 44. y

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation position with respect io thereofy may be readily understood. Ihave shown how the member 16 is adapted to shift the gears intoanydesired speed and when shifting the gears, to first bring the gearsinto neutral position before moving them into the desired speed. havefurthershown how the clutch pedal 32 is first adapted to be moved so asVto partially release the clutch before causing the member 16to shift thegears from one speed to the next. member 16 is adapted to bemoved alongthe shaft 23 without in any way affecting the movement of the slides 4and 5. Y Y

The principal object of the invention however is to provide theresilient means that connects the shaft 23 `with theclutch pedal 32,whereby the gears are adapted to be shifted into the various speeds by ameans that Will cause the gears to mesh as preventing the movementof-one rod until the other 'rod has Vfirst been brought into neutralposition. This means l is usually provided on standard transmissionmechanisms and is therefore not shown, yWhile I have spoken ofthevvarying of the tension atwhich the moving gear brought into meshing;engagement by shifting lthe position ofthe collar 44V or the locknuts48, it will be understood that when the clutch pedal is adjusted totakev up any wear lin the clutch, the'members 44 and 48 form.

means for compensating-for suchl adjustment. 7

I have still further yshown howthe In 'this way` It should be noted thatthe rods 2 and 3 are provided with the usual means for f iis It 'mightvhappen that the'- driver releases the clutch while the gears are inthirdspeed or any other speed. Some meansmust be provided for permitting themember 16 to be swung intoV a position so as to be moved from speed tospeed while .the

clutch isV still held in released position.

In Figure 9., I have shown the parts arranged so as to still keep theclutch released while permitting the member 1G to'be moved into anyspeed desired. 'The operator to bring the member 1G into such a positionallows the clutch pedal to return to practically normal position. Theclutch pedal in this position still keeps the clutch in disengagement.The cont-rol handle 29 ina be moved into any speed desired while stilthe clutch is in released position. If the driver wishes thegears to bethrown into neutral position, he may do so and then entirely release theclutch, or he may shift the gears into any speed desired and release theclutch. In this way the driver is enabled to change into any speeddesired after releasing this clutch, thereby obviating the Vnecessity ofstopping his engine in order to move the member tion.'

I claim:

V16 into the desired posil. In an automatic gear shifting, mechanism,the .combination with a clutch-actuating shaft arranged to be actuatedby a clutch pedal, of an arm having Vone end rigidly mounted upon saidclutch-actuating shaft, a rod extending through the other end of saidarm, a compression spring disposed upon each side of said arm andconcentric with said rod, adjusting means for varying the tension ofsaid springs, a cam shaft, a lever having one end rigidly mounted uponsaid cam shaft and the other end pivotally secured to one end of saidrod, and a selective device operatively connected to Vsaid cam shaft forshifting gears-from neutral positions into operative positions, saidselective device including two parallel disposed slides having openingstherein identical in contour, said openings having central contactneutral surfaces which are radially disposed about a commonv center andrecesses radially disposed about centers Y positioned upon each side ofthe common center and in alignment therewith. y

2. In an automatic gear shifting mec anism7 the combination with aclutch-actuating shaft arranged to be actuated by au clutch pedal, of anarm having one end rigidly mounted upon said clutch-actuating shaft, arod extending through Vthe other end of `said arm, a compression springdisposed upon each side of saidarm and concentric with said rod,adjusting means for.

varying the tension of said springs, a cam shaft, a lever having one endrigidly l mounted upon said cam shaft and the other end pivotallysecured to one end ,ofsaid rod, and a selective device operativelyconnected `to said cam shaft for shifting gears `from neutral positionsinto operative positions, said selective device including two paralleldisposed slides `having `openings therein identical in contour, saidopenings having central'contact neutral surfaces which are radiallydisposed about a common center and recesses radially disposed aboutcenters positioned upon each side of the common center and in alignmenttherewith, the walls of said openings being provided with shouldersdisposed adjacent said neutral surfaces.

3. VIn an automatic gear shifting mechanism, the combination with aVclutchaetuatingshaft .arranged to be actuated by aclutch pedal, of anarm having one end rigidly mounted upon said clutch-actuating shaft, a.rod extending through the other end of said arm, a compression springdisposed upon each side of said arm andd concentric with said rod,adjusting means for varying the tension of said springs` a-cam shaft, alever having one end lrigidly mounted upon said cam shaft and the otherend pivotally secured -to one end of said rod,

selective device operatively connected to said cam shaft for shiftinggears from neutral positions into operative positions,V said selectivedevice including two parallel disposed slides having openings' thereinidentical in contour, said openings having central contact neutralsurfaces which are radially disposed about a common center and recessesradially disposed about centers positioned upon each side of the commoncenter and in alignment therewith, the walls` of said openings beingprovided'with shoulders disposed adjacent' said neutraliV surfaces, anda slide-moving member keyed to said cam shaft and arranged to engagewith the walls of the openings in said slides for moving said slides formoving the gears into their various positions.

4f. In an automatic `gear shifting mechanism, the combination with aclutch-actu-v ating shaft arranged to be actuated by a clutch pedal, oi'an arm having one endrigidly mounted upon said clutch-actuating shaft, arod extending. through the other` end of said arm, a compression springdisposed upon each side of said arm and concentric with said rod,adjusting means for varying the tension of said springs, a cam moncenter and in alignment therewith, the Walls oi' said openings beingprovided with shoulders disposed adjacent said neutral surfaces, aslide-moving member keyed to said cam shaft, means for moving saidslide-moving member With respect to said slides,vand cam portions ofsaid slide-moving member arranged toengage Withsaid shoulders for movingsaid vslides vfor moving said gears into neutral positions.

5. In an automaticigear shifting mechanism, the combination With aclutch-actuating shaft arranged to be actuated by a clutch pedal, of 'anarm having one end rigidly mounted upon said clutch-actuating sha'lft, arod extending through the other end of' said arm, a compression springdisposed upon each side of said arm and concentric with said rod,adjusting means 'for varying the tension of said springs, a cam shaft, alever having one end rigidly mounted upon saidfcam shaft and the otherend pivotally secured to one end of said rod, a selective deviceoperatively connected to said cam shaft for shifting gears from neutralpositions into operative positions, said selective device including twoparallel disposed slides having openings therein identical 'in contour,said openings having central contact neutral surfaces which are radiallydisposed about a common center and recesses radially disposed aboutcenters positioned upon each side of the common center and in alignmenttherewith, the Walls oi said openings being provided With shouldersdisposed adjacent said neutral surfaces, a slide-moving member keyed tosaid cam shaft, means for moving said slide-moving member with respectto said slides, cam portions of' said slidemoving member arranged toengage With Vsaid shoulders for moving said slides for moving said gearsinto neutral positions, shoulders formed by the Walls of said openingsand disposed adjacent the recesses therein, and lug portions of saidslide-moving member arrangedv to engage With said second named.shoulders for moving said slidesl for moving said gears into operativepositions.

ARTHUR CORNWALL NICKELL, JR.

